Electricity powers the operation of integrated circuits. However, some integrated circuits are used where a reliable supply of electricity is not available or is not desirable. For example, the internet of things involves the interconnection of computing devices embedded in many consumer products via the internet, such as wearable devices, wireless sensors, etc. This interconnection may be facilitated by relatively low power devices with long term, portable power supplies. Electricity can be provided by a battery or a hard-wired electrical supply, but batteries are eventually drained and hard-wired electrical supplies are not available at all locations and have limited mobility.
An integrated circuit capable of producing its own electricity could be utilized in locations were hard-wire electrical supplies are not available or not desirable, and where monitoring and changing a battery as needed is also not desirable. One technique available for remote electrical supply is the use of solar cells. Solar cells produce electricity from light, but the quantity of electricity produced depends on the area and the efficiency of the solar cell. The size of integrated circuits is decreasing as time goes by, so less space is available for solar cells on integrated circuits.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with solar cells that (1) efficiently utilize available space and (2) produce electricity from light efficiently. In addition, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with solar cells where the solar cell production is inexpensive and utilizes components and materials already in use in the integrated circuit. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present embodiment will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.